Ficus carica - medicinal and other uses

Ficus carica L.

Family

Moraceae

Synonym(s)

English name(s)

Fig
Fig Tree

Arabic Name(s)

teen تين

Hebrew Name(s)

פִיקוּס הַתְּאֵנָה

fiqus ha-te'ena

Comments

Life Form

Tree

Habitat

Disturbed habitats

Click to view:

Medicinal Complaints / Uses

Other Uses

Click Flora of Israel Online to view
distribution and other botanical details.

Medicinal Complaints / Uses

Ficus carica L.

Medicinal Complaints / Uses
System/State	Traditional Complaint/Use	Activity / Interpretation	Traditional Preparation/ Administration	Parts Used	Source
Dermatological	Baldness	Hair restorer	Prepare compress of leaves; wet in "qutran" (Pix liquida liquid tar is a dry distillation of various pine woods). (Admin. not specified.)	Leaf	Z
Dermatological	Eczema	Anti-inflammatory	Use latex.(Preparation/ Admin. not specified.)	Latex	Z
Dermatological	Mycosis (fungal infection)	Anti-fungal	Obtain latex/ juice by squeezing fresh plant parts & unripe fruit & apply to skin.	Aerial parts, Fruit, Latex	Z
Dermatological	Psoriasis	Anti-inflammatory	Obtain latex/ juice by squeezing fresh plant parts & unripe fruit; use it to make a dough with barley flour & apply as compress.	Aerial parts, Fruit, Latex	Z
Dermatological	Scabies	Scabicide	Obtain latex /juice by squeezing fresh plant parts & unripe fruit; use it to make a dough with barley flour & apply as compress.	Aerial parts, Fruit, Latex	Z
Dermatological, Ritual /Ceremonial	Warts	Anti-Infective	1. Spread latex from fresh plant & unripe fruit onto wart.(Z) 2. Squeeze milky sap secreted from stem & apply to affected area; repeat daily until improvement. (B) 3. Ritual /Ceremonial use: Make cuts on fresh twig equal to the number of a patient`s warts; leave twig to dry; when it dries the warts will disappear. (Z)	Aerial parts, Branch /twig, Fruit, Latex, Stem (milky sap)	Z, B
Endocrine/Metabolic	High cholesterol	Hypocholesterolemic	Decoct leaves & drink 3 cups x 2/day.	Leaf	B
Gastrointestinal	Aid digestion	Stomachic	Eat (dried) fruit	Fruit	B
Gastrointestinal	Chronic constipation/ regulate bowel movements	Laxative	1. Eat (dried) fruit alone 2. Eat dried fruit + juice of one of the following plants dripped onto it: (i)"mahmoudiya" (Convolvulus scammonia), or (ii) "halablub" (Euphorbia sp.), or (iii) "faqus himar" (Ecballium elaterium), or (iv) carob honey (Ceratonia siliqua) + cow`s milk.	Fruit	Z
Gastrointestinal	Chronic stomach ache	Carminative	Mix dried, powdered leaves + boiled honey + soft-boiled egg & eat mornings.	Leaf	Z
Gastrointestinal	Constipation	Laxative	Eat fruit.	Fruit	B
Gastrointestinal	Diarrhea	Anti-Infective, Anti-diarrheal	Boil dried fruit in water & drink x3 cups /day.	Fruit	Z
Kidney & Urinary Tract	Diuretic	Diuretic	Decoct dried fruit & drink all day instead of water.	Fruit	Z
Kidney & Urinary Tract	Kidney stones	Anti-lithic	Decoct leaves & drink 1 cup x /2day.	Leaf	B
Opthalmic	Eye disease	Non-specific	Massage eyes with fig leaves (See CAUTIONS), then spread almond oil & a compress of chamomile flowers.	Leaf	Z
Oral Health	Toothache	Analgesic	1. Apply latex (milky fluid) from unripe fruit onto tooth. 2. Boil leaves in vinegar, cool & gargle after eating or as needed.	Latex, Leaf	Z
Respiratory	Asthma	Anti-asthmatic	Decoct leaves & drink 2 cups x2/day.	Leaf	B
Respiratory	Cough/ soften throat	Anti-tussive, Demulcent	1. Decoct dried fruit in water & drink x3 cups/day. 2. Cook dried figs in water + inflorescence of "balasan" (Sambucus nigra) & drink the water.	Fruit	Z
Venoms, Bites & Stings	Scorpion sting	Anti-venom	Obtain latex/ juice by squeezing fresh plant parts & unripe fruit & apply to sting.	Aerial parts, Fruit, Latex	Z
Women`s Health	Exhaust (stop) menstrual flow	Emmenagogue	Decoct dried fruit in water & drink 1 full glass x3/day.	Fruit	Z
Women`s Health	Induce abortion	Abortifacient	Decoct dried fruit in water & drink x1 full glass of decoction while sitting in hot bath for 15 min.	Fruit	Z
Women`s Health	Stop uterine haemorrhage	Haemostatic	Heat powdered dried fruit in oven, wrap in gauze to make vaginal suppository & insert.	Fruit	Z
Wound Healing	Burn from sun or fire	Vulnerary	Mix latex of unripe fruit + barley flour & apply to burned area.	Latex	Z
Wound Healing	Soften & open a closed lesion/ open & dry-up a suppurative lesion	Anti-Infective, Vulnerary	1. Apply leaves as compress on closed lesion to soften & open it. 2. Spread fig honey (or date honey) over suppurative wound (to open & dry it up).	Leaf	Z

Other Uses

Ficus carica L.

Other Uses
System/State	Complaint / Use	Activity / Interpretation	Traditional Preparation/Administration	Parts Used	Source
Cosmetic	Dye hair black	Dye	Cook leaves of black figs + black mulberries + vine leaves & use to wash hair.	Leaf	Z

The authors of FLORAPALE, (Flora Palaestina Ethnobotanical) web site do not take responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of the plants described here. Always seek advice from a health professional before using a plant medicinally or for other purposes. See DISCLAIMER.

Notes

The latex is a milky juice which is part of the sap, & is a natural sticky polymer exuding from different plant parts containing various phytochemicals etc.

Cautions

The latex (milky exudate) of Ficus carica can cause conjunctivitis if in contact with eyes & phytophotodermatitis, a potentially serious skin inflammation after exposed to ultraviolet light. Psoralens in figs in very high doses is reported to cause photodermatitis in preganacy.